Although some 50,000 NDP members have already voted (39 per cent of party members), either online or through a mail-in ballot, thousands more are expected to participate online from the comfort of home, voting round by round as if they were on the convention floor.

Convention Coverage, HuffPost Style: Over the next two days, while NDP members pick their new leader in Toronto, follow HuffPost Canada as our team brings you comprehensive coverage. We'll be posting photos, behind-the-scenes video, opinion and reporting from the convention floor.

The online voting is a great way to expand democracy within the party without having to cram 70,000 people into one room, the B.C. resident added.

Elliott-Buckley really wants to pick a candidate who will prevent the perceived front-runner, Quebec MP Thomas Mulcair, from winning the race. If Cullen is off the ballot or "too low to stop Mulcair," he said he’ll throw his support behind one of his number two choices, either Brian Topp, Peggy Nash or Paul Dewar, depending on the dynamics on the floor of the convention.

“Voting online also lets me not have to make up my mind on a number two until I need to,” he explained in an email.

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On top of sending emails to supporters and engaging on Facebook and Twitter, Cullen's campaign will be employing “hundreds of volunteers” to reach out to delegates face to face, said spokeswoman Coree Tull.

But even with real-time online voting, Cullen’s camp has been encouraging supporters to vote in advance polls. Candidates who haven’t locked-in all their support ahead of the vote risk having members at home, or even at the convention, skip a vote or two, contributing to a slide on subsequent ballots.

“Please note: if you vote in real time (online or at convention), you must vote for Nathan on each and every ballot. Real time voting is not preferential,” Cullen’s team reminded supporters in an email Thursday.

Peggy Nash’s campaign told HuffPost their organizing department will be phoning identified supporters Friday to ensure that everyone has voted.

“In addition, our social media team will be acting in parallel to our floor team to attract new supporters to Peggy as voting unfolds,” Zuzia Danielski, a spokeswoman for Nash said.

“We recognize some 80,000 eligible voters have yet to cast a ballot and we will be doing everything possible to mobilize support for Peggy.”

Brian Topp’s campaign told HuffPost their outreach will target members who aren’t necessarily participating in the action at the convention.

“Our game plan has always been premised on people voting from home. And we are reaching them one on one, volunteer to member in a G.O.T.V. (Get Out The Vote) effort that has been going on for weeks,” said Topp’s spokesman Jim Rutkowski.

Topp’s team will be reaching out to supporters throughout the day Friday and Saturday via telephone and emails, Rutkowski said.

Advance voting officially ends at 11 a.m. on Friday, then the seven leadership contenders will each get 20 minutes to make their final pitch to party members.

“In Paul's showcase we will demonstrate the breadth of diversity of support for Paul (shown through multi-lingual speakers and our videos), as well as the energy and excitement that he brings to the NDP (shown through the live musical performance and the whole show),” his spokesman Joe Cressy said.

Dewar plans to highlight his experience, his NDP roots and his passion for the party, as well as his plan to win the next 70 seats needed to form government, Cressy added.

“The showcase is designed for both the audience and television.”

For those attending the convention or participating at home, voting on the first round will begin at 5 p.m. ET on Friday.

After the voting has begun, the convention will turn to an evening spent remembering Layton.

The glossy audio-visual presentation will include a speech by Layton’s widow, Toronto MP Olivia Chow. She’s expected to talk about Layton's desire to inspire love, hope and optimism, and achieve "real changes" in government to address the needs of all Canadians.

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What You Need To Know About The NDP Leadership Vote

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Thousands of New Democrats are convening in Toronto this weekend, and tens of thousands more are expected to participate online, to pick Canada's next Leader of the Official Opposition.
The leadership race that was triggered by Jack Layton's death in August has been long - seven months - and seven people are left standing.
The winning candidate will be elected in a way the NDP has never used before.
(AP)
With files from CBC

More than 130,000 New Democrats are eligible to choose between Niki Ashton, Nathan Cullen, Paul Dewar, Thomas Mulcair, Peggy Nash, Martin Singh and Brian Topp. (Romeo Saganash and Robert Chisholm dropped out earlier in the competition.)
This is the party's first truly one-member, one-vote convention. Gone are the days when unions had special pull at NDP conventions. This time, their votes are not given greater weight; each vote by every member counts equally.
Events could also unfold in a very different fashion than the last time the NDP elected a leader. In 2003, Layton won on the first ballot, which meant the drama seen at other leadership conventions -- with one camp crossing over to another or where multiple rounds of voting have ensued -- didn't play out.
It's possible a winner could be declared after one round of voting on Saturday -- but if not, then New Democrats could be in for a far more interesting day.
So, how do they vote?
(Thinkstock)

All registered party members were mailed voting packages that included a personal identification number that must be used to cast a ballot.
Advance voting began on March 1. Members can vote online or by mail using a preferential ballot where they rank their choices.
The mail-in ballots must be received by March 22 and advance online voting ends on Friday morning at 9 a.m. ET sharp.
All of the results from the advance voting are kept locked up, digitally, by the voting company that was hired for the convention.
Only a handful of people have access to those results.
The NDP will know how many people voted in advance and are expected to release that tally on Friday.
(AP)

The two-day convention opens with first-round voting opening Friday at 5:30 p.m. ET, after the candidates have presented their showcases and delivered their final pitches. Members who did not take part in the advance voting can cast a ballot in each round beginning on Friday night, with members voting for a single candidate each time.
There will be 175 voting terminals set up the convention centre in downtown Toronto, but members can also vote online from anywhere in the country. From the comfort of their home, or while they're out for a walk enjoying their weekend, members can use their computer or smartphone to log on with their PIN and cast their votes throughout the convention.
On Saturday morning at 10 a.m. ET, the combined results from the advanced voting and the first round will be announced.
If one candidate receives more than 50 per cent of the vote, a winner will be declared -- if not, a second ballot will be prepared.
The candidate with the lowest number of votes is eliminated and the remaining candidates will have 30 minutes to decide if they want to voluntarily drop off the ballot.
The rounds of voting will continue until one candidate passes the 50 per cent mark. There will be about 90 minutes between rounds for voters to cast their ballots.
(AP)

The party will be keeping members who are not at the convention centre in the loop via email, letting them know who is on each ballot and when the rounds are set to begin.
Candidates in the meantime will be hard at work trying to get out the vote. They are setting up war rooms at the convention centre where their teams will be working the phones and their email lists to maintain and grow their support throughout the day.
Members' first choice from the advanced ballot will be applied as long as that candidate is still on the ballot at the convention. When and if that person is dropped, their second choice and subsequent choices are counted.
When New Democrats will learn who their new leader is depends on how many rounds are required -- it could all be over early Saturday, or it could stretch on all day.
The NDP is well aware, however, that Canadians' attention spans may wane the closer it gets to the time for the nation's other pastime -- the puck drop for Saturday night's NHL games.
(Alamy)